Chelsea are cruising at the top of the table and should have had another tennis score against a Stoke City side that were desperate not to get another 7-0 drubbing like the end of last season. They managed to hold Chelsea to just 2-0 but not because Chelsea were lacking in chances.
Chelsea topped their fntastic season by winning the FA Cup Final against Portsmouth at Wembley, but the 1-0 scoreline doesn’t give justice to the gulf between the two sides.
Drogba’s brilliant free-kick was the difference between the two teams in the end, but Chelsea hit the woodwork a total of five times in the first half, not to mention that Salomon Kalou actually got the ball over the line once but it wasn’t seen by the referee or linesman.
The Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou has been getting a few games for Chelsea lately, and scoring goals for fun too. He believes that Chelsea just need to prepare as normal for the game against Wigan, and enjoy the moment, along with the fans at home.
The Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou thinks that Chelsea just have to forget any pressure from Man Utd being right behind them in the title race, and just have to make sure that they take all three points at Anfield against Liverpool, thus making the Man Utd game irrelevant.
“I think we have to win. There’s two games to go and there’s no other way of going about it,” said Kalou.
The Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti saw his second string team beaten on penalties by Blackburn last night, and was not too disappointed considering that they had to play the last 20 minutes with ten men.
A highly experimental side, containing just three players that had faced Arsenal at the weekend, were 1-0 down to a Kalinic goal at half-time, and Ancelotti changed it again in the second half when he brought on Drogba, Kakuta and Bruma after the break.
The other clubs in the Premiership are hoping that Chelsea will be seriously affected in January when the African Nations Cup is being staged, but if you look at the facts it would seem to be wishful thinking.
Yes Drogba and Essien can make a big difference to a game, but Mikel and Kalou are fringe players at best, so will not be missed to any degree.
Chelsea have been given a boost after their mini injury crisis, with the news that Ashley Cole has come through a rigorous training session yesterday, and his exceptionally quick recovery from a fractured tibia means he will be fit to face Arsenal at the Emirates the weekend after next, and may even play a part against Wolves on Saturday.
Another start for Kalou
Nicolas Anelka scored the winners in the first two matches, but Salomon Kalou came good in the last match against Atletico, scoring twice in a 4-0 win. He followed that up with another one against Bolton in the Carling Cup.
Ferreira's first start this year.
Joe Cole gets another game to help build up his fitness levels, and the rest of the diamond will consist of Malouda on the left, Deco on the right, and Michael Ballack in the holding position.
Kalou - happy to be scoring again
He said that the miss didn’t worry him: “It was a very good opportunity for me, I haven’t been playing lately and I scored two goals which is very good,” he said.
